{"id":4501,"date":"2026-04-29T06:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/?p=4501"},"modified":"2026-04-29T06:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:41:28","slug":"five-of-the-greatest-upsets-in-thomas-cup-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/five-of-the-greatest-upsets-in-thomas-cup-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Five of the greatest upsets in Thomas Cup history"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, France stunned the badminton world with a 4\u20131 victory over Indonesia at the 2026 Thomas Cup, knocking out the 14-time champions in one of the tournament\u2019s biggest shocks.<\/p>\n<p>For France, it stands as one of their greatest-ever badminton achievements. For Indonesia, it marked one of their most disappointing campaigns, as it was only the second time they failed to reach the semi-finals, after 2012.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thomas Cup &#8211; Indonesia \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\udde9 come face-to-face against France \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 in Group D.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ThomasUberCupFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ThomasUberCupFinals<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Horsens2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Horsens2026<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aO5Tdq7jnQ\">pic.twitter.com\/aO5Tdq7jnQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; BWF (@bwfmedia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bwfmedia\/status\/2049292583877091634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>More broadly, the result reinforces a defining truth of the Thomas Cup: reputation and history guarantee nothing. Across eras, even the most dominant teams have been toppled by emerging challengers, often in ties decided by depth, momentum and a handful of pivotal moments.<\/p>\n<p>On top of France\u2019s latest triumph, here are five of the greatest examples.<\/p>\n<h2>The new kings of badminton arrive (1982)<\/h2>\n<p>China\u2019s Thomas Cup debut could not have been more emphatic, as they defeated Indonesia 5-4 in the London final, overturning the established order in one of the sport\u2019s defining results.<\/p>\n<p>After trailing 3-1 following the first day, China mounted a remarkable comeback. Luan Jin set the tone by defeating eight-time All England champion Rudy Hartono, before Han Jian and Chen Changjie levelled the tie. Sun Zhian and Yao Ximing then combined to deliver the decisive point.<\/p>\n<p>The victory not only secured China\u2019s first title but also marked the beginning of their long-standing dominance in world badminton.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TodayInHistory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TodayInHistory<\/a> On May 21, 1982, the Chinese men\u2019s badminton team claimed the Thomas Cup for the first time. This historic triumph signaled the onset of China\u2019s reign in international badminton. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OnThisDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OnThisDay<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gfNNq9Qr5k\">pic.twitter.com\/gfNNq9Qr5k<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; VideoChina (@videochinatv) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/videochinatv\/status\/1924985994543300686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<h2>Shock early exit for Malaysia at home (2000)<\/h2>\n<p>Host nation Malaysia entered the Kuala Lumpur edition with high expectations, fielding a squad largely unchanged from their runner-up finish in 1998.<\/p>\n<p>However, their campaign unravelled early. A 3-2 loss to South Korea and a heavy 4-1 defeat to Denmark resulted in a group-stage exit. It remains one of the few occasions a host nation failed to progress beyond the opening round.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NFggcn6MVFw?si=uzgkZ9kDm6vwEQIV\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Japan rise up (2014)<\/h2>\n<p>Japan\u2019s 2014 triumph was shaped by a semi-final upset that shifted the balance of the tournament. Facing defending champions China, the Kento Momota-led side produced a dominant 3-0 sweep, eliminating the traditional powerhouse in one of the most decisive upsets.<\/p>\n<p>With the tournament\u2019s dominant force removed, Japan carried that momentum into the final, where they edged Malaysia 3-2 to secure their first-ever Thomas Cup title.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2u_8x2OWoiU?si=lhpmU5nz8j74qw14\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>South Korea stun China (2016)<\/h2>\n<p>In 2016, South Korea delivered one of the most significant modern-era upsets by defeating China 3-1 in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p>China, competing on home soil, had never failed to reach the semi-finals since entering the competition in 1982. Their early exit marked a rare break in their dominance and underlined the increasing competitiveness of the field.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g_b9K_gKVqU?si=lR2yhJTXlt28rLCr\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>India\u2019s underdog story (2022)<\/h2>\n<p>India\u2019s 2022 campaign stands as one of the most remarkable runs in Thomas Cup history as they claimed their maiden title in Bangkok.<\/p>\n<p>Not among the pre-tournament favourites, India built their success on resilience in the knockout stages, with H. S. Prannoy delivering crucial wins against Malaysia and Denmark to guide them into the final.<\/p>\n<p>Against defending champions Indonesia, India showed no signs of nerves. Lakshya Sen overturned a deficit to defeat Anthony Ginting, before the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty overcame Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. Kidambi Srikanth then beat Jonatan Christie to seal a 3-0 victory and clinch the title.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P_4UQ7cVl0c?si=4Vw-bUh28uyDHFSN\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, France stunned the badminton world with a 4\u20131 victory over Indonesia at the 2026 Thomas Cup, knocking out the 14-time champions in one of the tournament\u2019s biggest shocks. For France, it stands as one of their greatest-ever badminton achievements. For Indonesia, it marked one of their most disappointing campaigns, as it was only &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/five-of-the-greatest-upsets-in-thomas-cup-history\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Five of the greatest upsets in Thomas Cup history<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5],"tags":[299],"class_list":["post-4501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-popular","category-top-stories","tag-badminton-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4501"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4503,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501\/revisions\/4503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}